"Battleship" Avoids U.S. Release and Makes $170 Mil Around the World

UPDATE: Sunday, April 29th: “Battleship” is now up to $170 Mil worldwide without US release until May 18th.

“Battleship,” Universal Pictures’ big summer entertainment, cost over $200 million to make. You know it’s cheesy and not very good, so why subject the studio to American reviews? Very wisely, Universal has been opening “Battleship” around the world in advance of its May 18th U.S. landing. And the result: already $129 million in the bank. And more to come. These numbers are from Boxofficemojo.com. And they tell you why Ron Meyer is so good at his job running the studio. The movie has terrible reviews–it’s scored a 48% on Rotten Tomatoes. One British reviewer simply called it “trash.” Universal calls it “money” and there will enough of it by May 18th to avoid a “John Carter” disaster. This is the new trend. If your movie is bad, play for it people who just need to see explosions and special effects. The movie stars non-actor Rihanna, and “John Carter” hero Taylor Kitsch.

Lindsay Lohan cast as Elizabeth Taylor

Andrew Pulver
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 24 April 2012 07.29 EDT
Lindsay Lohan has signed on for her first lead role since 2009 after being cast as Elizabeth Taylor in Liz and Dick, an account of Taylor's tempestuous relationship with Richard Burton.

The troubled actor was forced to drop out of her last high-profile role, as Linda Lovelace in the biopic Inferno, after breaking probation conditions by missing a mandatory progress hearing relating to a 2007 DUI conviction; instead, she attended a promotional event at the 2010 Cannes film festival.

Lohan said: "I am very honored to have been asked to play this role."

Since starring as a woman who fakes her pregnancy in Labor Pains in 2009, Lohan has only been seen on screen in a small part in the Robert Rodriguez action movie Machete. Liz and Dick, however, is unlikely to make it to cinemas as it has been commissioned by the Lifetime network, which specialises in women-oriented TV dramas.

UK film-maker Chris Monger (The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain) is writing the script, but no director has yet been announced.

Google execs, director Cameron in space venture

Larry Page, Google co-founder, listens as Google CEO Eric Schmidt (R) talks to reporters at the Sun Valley Inn in Sun Valley, Idaho July 9, 2009. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt and billionaire co-founder Larry Page have teamed up with "Avatar" director James Cameron and other investors to back an ambitious space exploration and natural resources venture, details of which will be unveiled next week.

The fledgling company, called Planetary Resources, will be unveiled at a Tuesday news conference at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, according to a press release issued this week.

Aside from naming some of the company's high-profile backers, the press release disclosed tantalizingly few details, saying only that the company will combine the sectors of "space exploration and natural resources" in a venture that could add "trillions of dollars to the global GDP." The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Planetary Resources will explore the feasibility of mining natural resources from asteroids, a decades-old concept.

"This innovative start-up will create a new industry and a new definition of 'natural resources,'" according to the press release.

Planetary Resource was co-founded by Eric Anderson, a former NASA Mars mission manager, and Peter Diamandis, the commercial space entrepreneur behind the X-Prize, a competition that offered $10 million to a group that launched a reusable manned spacecraft. Other notable investors include Charles Simonyi, a former top executive at Microsoft, and K. Ram Shriram, a Google director.

The venture will be the latest foray into the far-flung for Cameron, who dived last month in a mini-submarine to the deepest spot in the Mariana Trench. The plot of his 2009 science fiction blockbuster film, "Avatar," concerned resource mining on alien planets.

(Reporting By Gerry Shih; Editing by Bernard Orr)

Disney studio chief Rich Ross steps down in wake of 'John Carter' disaster

BURBANK - Disney movie studio boss Rich Ross is stepping down, a month after the family entertainment giant booked a huge loss on the mega-budget sci-fi movie "John Carter."

Ross, the former head of Disney Channels Worldwide, had taken over for then-studio chair Dick Cook just two and a half years ago with a mission to cut costs and develop new hits.

But the losses continued under Ross despite major restructuring efforts.

A month ago, Disney said it would book a $200 million loss on "John Carter," a special-effects-laden movie based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs book series.

The movie starring Taylor Kitsch had an estimated budget of $250 million, which matched what 20th Century Fox spent on "Avatar."

The problem is "John Carter" made only $269 million at box offices worldwide. After splits with theater owners and paying for marketing expenses, Disney estimated its losses on the movie will pull the entire studio into a loss of $80 million to $120 million in the quarter through March.

Ross, 50, said in a memo to staff Friday that the role of chairman of Walt Disney Studios was no longer right for him.

"The best people need to be in the right jobs, in roles they are passionate about, doing work that leverages the full range of their abilities," he said. "I no longer believe the chairman role is the right professional fit for me."

Ross' resignation is effective immediately. The Walt Disney Co. did not name a
Advertisement
successor.

Disney CEO Bob Iger wished Ross well in a statement.

"Rich Ross's creative instincts, business acumen and personal integrity have driven results in key businesses for Disney, redefining success in kids and family entertainment and launching franchises that generate value across our entire company," Iger said. "I appreciate his countless contributions throughout his entire career at Disney, and expect he will have tremendous success in whatever he chooses to do next."

Music Icon Dick Clark has died at 82

By TODAY.com staff and wire services

Famed television personality Dick Clark died of a heart attack Wednesday morning in Los Angeles, his spokesman confirms. Clark was 82.

Clark is best known for hosting long-running television shows such as "American Bandstand," the game show "Pyramid" and "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve."

He was nicknamed "America's oldest teenager" and maintained his youthful looks into his 70s.

Clark had been in St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, Calif., after undergoing an outpatient procedure Tuesday night. He suffered the heart attack following the procedure and attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.

Clark is survived by his wife, Kari, and his three children.

Clark, who started out as a TV announcer in Utica, New York, parlayed his "Bandstand" fame into a career as a producer and host of dozens of other shows, including ABC's annual New Year's Eve telecast, which he launched in 1972.

With his clean-cut image and youthful appearance, he presided over more than three decades of pop music and dance trends as host of "American Bandstand," the first network TV show to feature rock 'n' roll.

He also produced such perennial TV events as the American Music Awards and the Golden Globes telecast.

Musicians of all ages quickly took to Twitter to remember Clark.

"REST IN PEACE to the DICK CLARK!! U were pioneer n a good man!! Thank u sir" wrote Snoop Dogg.

And Isaac Hanson of the band Hanson tweeted, "Dick Clark was a Rock 'n' Roll Radio/TV icon with an influence on pop culture for more than 50 years. Rest in peace."

Comedian Joan Rivers tweeted, "Very sad to hear about Dick Clark. What a great life. What a great career. Relevant until the end. He will be missed!"

Producer Jon Landau Reveals How 'Titanic' Was Converted to 3D

by Carolyn Giardina

The film had James Cameron’s “imprint on every shot," Landau says.

A library of 3D titles will hold a greater value than one that is in 2D, Titanic and Avatar producer Jon Landau said Monday at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show.
our editor recommends
Box Office Report: 'Titanic 3D' Jumps $200 Mil in Only 12 Days
Foreign Box Office: 'Titanic 3D' Unsinkable No. 1 Overseas After Sensational China Debut

Titanic 3D -- the subject of his session -- has already earned $201.8 million worldwide since its April 4 release.

2D to 3D conversion isn’t “a technical process, it’s a creative process that uses technology,” emphasized Landau, who was joined for the discussion by William Sherak, president of StereoD, which created the 3D version of Titanic; and Titanic’s VFX supervisor Rob Legato, who moderated.

For Titanic, the conversion was a detailed process that took 14 months and cost $18 million. Landau said that getting it right means “finding a library title that justifies [3D conversion] and a filmmaker who can be involved. The creative team needs to be a part of the process.”

The project began with remastering the film in 4K (which was accomplished at Reliance MediaWorks), and then Stereo 3D took it into the 3D realm with a team of about 450 people.

Calling it a “filmmaker's first artistic approach,” Sherak described the StereoD approach as a frame-by-frame process where the filmmaker determines the depth of everything in the frame.

Landau confirmed that director James Cameron’s “imprint is on every shot.”

“He used what he remembered from the set,” explained Landau, citing the dinner table scene as among the most challenging. “The detail was so complex, and Jim was able to look at a shot and recall that the table was ‘this big’ and really place it and make it feel comfortable [in 3D space]."

“We used our learning experience from Avatar on this film,” Landau continued. “Action is not necessary where you want to emphasize the 3D. At the end day, movies are about the close up. People go back because of the narrative story.

“The subtleties in the performances -- to me 3D is about enhancing those types of moments,” he added.

The idea to realize Titanic in 3D was not a recent one. Landau related that he and Cameron first started to think about it around 2000. Then, four years ago, Cameron and Landau gave one minute of Titanic to roughly 15 different companies as test material. "We felt the potential was there," Landau said.

Howard Stern’s $300 Million Lawsuit Bounced King of All Media gets crowned in nasty SiriusXM legal spat

From the TSG Newsletter
APRIL 17--In a stinging legal rebuke, a New York judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by Howard Stern against SiriusXM and, in the process, revealed that the radio host had been seeking a whopping $300 million in stock awards he claimed were owed as part of his employment contract with the satellite radio firm.

In an order filed yesterday in New York State Supreme Court, Judge Barbara Kapnick granted a SiriusXM motion for summary judgment, dismissing the lawsuit filed last March by Stern’s One Twelve, Inc. and Don Buchwald, the shock jock’s manager.

Kapnick bounced the Stern/Buchwald complaint “with prejudice,” meaning that the duo is barred from refilling a lawsuit with similar claims.

Kapnick’s decision also included details of the lawsuit that had been cloaked due to Stern’s claim that aspects of his contract had to remain confidential. Specifically, Stern’s employment deal--which was struck with Sirius prior to its merger with XM--included performance-based stock awards tied to the growth of Sirius subscribers generated by Stern.

A heavily redacted copy of Stern’s employment agreement was filed in court last year by lawyers for the radio personality.

Stern’s contract contained five separate stock award provisions, each valued at $75 million, noted Kapnick, who also disclosed that the radio star was paid a $25 million bonus following Sirius’s 2008 merger with XM.

But while the 58-year-old entertainer received an initial $75 million stock grant, Sirius contended that he was not entitled to any of the remaining four awards since he had not met subscriber goals detailed in the employment contract.

In claiming to be owed $300 million, Stern’s legal argument rested on his contention that Sirius’s merger with XM added the requisite number of new “Sirius subscribers” to trigger the remaining four stock award provisions. The satellite radio company argued that Stern was trying to cash in on subscribers for which he deserved no credit.

Citing the “clear, unambiguous language” of Stern’s contract, Kapnick (pictured at left) rejected the radio host’s bid for a nine-figure stock payout (Buchwald was seeking a comparatively paltry $30 million in stock).

By most estimates, since departing terrestrial radio in late-2005, Stern has pocketed hundreds of millions in cash and stock from his satellite radio gig, including a January 2006 award of shares worth $218 million.

In December 2010, Stern signed a new five-year contract, noting that “Sirius is allowing me a lot of flexibility with the show. I guarantee there will be plenty of me to go around.” Three months later, he sued the satellite radio giant for breach of contract for allegedly stiffing him on the $300 million in stock awards.